Narrowband communication for different device capabilities in unlicensed spectrum

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. Resources for narrowband communication in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band may be configured and allocated based on resource availability, regulatory constraints, and device capability or category. A narrowband wireless device, such as a machine type communication device or other relatively low complexity device, may communicate using one or more narrowband carriers, which may occupy between one tone and multiple resource blocks in an unlicensed spectrum band (e.g., any number of resources between one (1) tone and multiple resource blocks (RBs)). Different device types may thus be configured differently as they move between geographic regions. The base station may then communicate with the narrowband mobile device based on the resource allocation and the carrier configuration.

CROSS REFERENCES

The present application for patent claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/383,359 by Liu, et al., entitled “NarrowbandCommunication For Different Device Capabilities in Unlicensed Spectrum,”filed Sep. 2, 2016, assigned to the assignee hereof.

BACKGROUND

The following relates generally to wireless communication and morespecifically to narrowband communication for different devicecapabilities in unlicensed spectrum.

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication content such as voice, video, packet data,messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable ofsupporting communication with multiple users by sharing the availablesystem resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of suchmultiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA)systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequencydivision multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequencydivision multiple access (OFDMA) systems, (e.g., a Long Term Evolution(LTE) system). A wireless multiple-access communications system mayinclude a number of base stations, each simultaneously supportingcommunication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwiseknown as user equipment (UE).

Some wireless communications systems may support communication betweenbase stations and different types of narrowband device types. Forexample, in enhanced machine-type communications (eMTC) andnarrowband-Internet of Things (NB-IoT) deployments, mobile devices maycommunicate with a base station (or other serving station) usingresources allocated specifically for one deployment or the other. Suchsystems may not be configured to account for differences in resourcecapability or bandwidth availability.

Some wireless systems support narrowband communication configurationssuch as NB-IoT and eMTC in unlicensed radio frequency spectrum. However,resource availability or regulatory restrictions for communication in anunlicensed spectrum may impose limitations that impact narrowbandcommunications. These limitations may reduce the efficiency ofnarrowband communications and may not account for varying capabilitiesof narrowband devices within the system.

SUMMARY

A wireless device (e.g., a narrowband wireless device) may be configuredto communicate with a base station using one or more narrowband carriersin an unlicensed spectrum radio frequency spectrum band. The number ofcarriers employed may depend on the geographic region of operation andthe capability or category of the device. Such flexibility in resourceallocation may allow a base station to communicate with devices ofdifferent capabilities, which may move between jurisdictions havingvarious resource availability and regulatory restrictions for unlicensedspectrum resources. The wireless device may communicate with the basestation based on the resource allocation and the carrier configuration.In some cases, uplink and downlink messages may be formatted based onthe resource allocation and the carrier configuration.

A method of wireless communication is described. The method may includereceiving a configuration message on resources of a first carrier in afirst narrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band,identifying, based at least in part on the configuration message, aconfiguration of one or more additional carriers that are each in adifferent narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband, receiving, on resources of the first carrier, an assignment ofresources on the one or more additional carriers in the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, andcommunicating on the one or more additional carriers in the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bandaccording to the assignment.

An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus mayinclude means for receiving a configuration message on resources of afirst carrier in a first narrowband region of an unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band, means for identifying, based at least in parton the configuration message, a configuration of one or more additionalcarriers that are each in a different narrowband region of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, means for receiving, onresources of the first carrier, an assignment of resources on the one ormore additional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, and means for communicating onthe one or more additional carriers in the different narrowband regionsof the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to theassignment.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to receive a configuration message onresources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region of anunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, identify, based at least inpart on the configuration message, a configuration of one or moreadditional carriers that are each in a different narrowband region ofthe unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, receive, on resources ofthe first carrier, an assignment of resources on the one or moreadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, and communicate on the one ormore additional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to the assignment.

A non-transitory computer readable medium for wireless communication isdescribed. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may includeinstructions operable to cause a processor to receive a configurationmessage on resources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region ofan unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, identify, based at least inpart on the configuration message, a configuration of one or moreadditional carriers that are each in a different narrowband region ofthe unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, receive, on resources ofthe first carrier, an assignment of resources on the one or moreadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, and communicate on the one ormore additional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to the assignment.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, the one or more additionalcarriers may be contiguous to one another. Some examples of the method,apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described abovemay further include processes, features, means, or instructions fortransmitting an uplink message on resources of the first carrier in thefirst narrowband region. Some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above may furtherinclude processes, features, means, or instructions for transmitting anindication of a capability or category of a wireless device on resourcesof the first carrier, where the configuration of the one or moreadditional carriers may be based at least in part on the capability orcategory of the wireless device.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, a number of the one or moreadditional carriers in the configuration may be based at least in parton the capability or category of the wireless device. In some examplesof the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable mediumdescribed above, receiving the assignment of resources includesreceiving a downlink control message having a format that may be basedat least in part on the capability or category of the wireless device.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, communicating on the one ormore additional carriers includes receiving a downlink data message onthe resources of the one or more additional carriers, where a format ofthe downlink data message may be based at least in part on thecapability or category of the wireless device. Some examples of themethod, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium describedabove may further include processes, features, means, or instructionsfor transmitting an uplink control message on resources of the firstcarrier, where a format of the uplink control message may be based atleast in part on the capability or category of the wireless device.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, communicating on the one ormore additional carriers includes transmitting an uplink control messageor an uplink data message on the resources of the one or more additionalcarriers, where a format of the uplink control message or the uplinkdata message may be based at least in part on the capability or categoryof the wireless device. In some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above, a bandwidth ofeach narrowband region includes a bandwidth of twelve Long TermEvolution (LTE) subcarriers (1RB).

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for receiving a system informationbroadcast message on resources of the first carrier. Some examples ofthe method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable mediumdescribed above may further include processes, features, means, orinstructions for identifying the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band based at least in part on thesystem information broadcast message. Some examples of the method,apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described abovemay further include processes, features, means, or instructions forperforming a random access procedure using resources of the firstcarrier, where the configuration message may be received during therandom access procedure.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for receiving one or moresynchronization signals on resources of the first carrier. Some examplesof the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable mediumdescribed above may further include processes, features, means, orinstructions for identifying a location of the first narrowband regionof the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band based at least in parton the one or more synchronization signals.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for determining that a base station mayhave gained access to the first narrowband region and the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band basedat least in part on receiving the one or more synchronization signals.Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for tuning one or more radio frequency(RF) chains to frequencies of the different narrowband regions based atleast in part on determining that the base station gained access to thefirst narrowband region and the different narrowband regions.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for monitoring for the one or moresynchronization signals while operating in a radio resource control(RRC) idle mode. In some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above, the one or moresynchronization signals include a primary synchronization signal (PSS)and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS).

A method of wireless communication is described. The method may includetransmitting a configuration message on resources of a first carrier ina first narrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bandto a first wireless device, where the configuration message identifies aconfiguration of a first set of additional carriers that are each in adifferent narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband, transmitting, on resources of the first carrier to the firstwireless device, an assignment of resources on the first set ofadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, and communicating with thefirst wireless device on the first set of additional carriers in thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband according to the assignment.

An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus mayinclude means for transmitting a configuration message on resources of afirst carrier in a first narrowband region of an unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band to a first wireless device, where theconfiguration message identifies a configuration of a first set ofadditional carriers that are each in a different narrowband region ofthe unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, means for transmitting, onresources of the first carrier to the first wireless device, anassignment of resources on the first set of additional carriers in thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband, and means for communicating with the first wireless device on thefirst set of additional carriers in the different narrowband regions ofthe unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to theassignment.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatusmay include a processor, memory in electronic communication with theprocessor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions maybe operable to cause the processor to transmit a configuration messageon resources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region of anunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to a first wireless device,where the configuration message identifies a configuration of a firstset of additional carriers that are each in a different narrowbandregion of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, transmit, onresources of the first carrier to the first wireless device, anassignment of resources on the first set of additional carriers in thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband, and communicate with the first wireless device on the first set ofadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to the assignment.

A non-transitory computer readable medium for wireless communication isdescribed. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may includeinstructions operable to cause a processor to transmit a configurationmessage on resources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region ofan unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to a first wireless device,where the configuration message identifies a configuration of a firstset of additional carriers that are each in a different narrowbandregion of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, transmit, onresources of the first carrier to the first wireless device, anassignment of resources on the first set of additional carriers in thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband, and communicate with the first wireless device on the first set ofadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to the assignment.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transmitting an additionalconfiguration message on the first carrier in the first narrowbandregion of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to a secondwireless device, where the additional configuration message identifies aconfiguration of a second set of additional carriers that may be eachdifferent narrowband regions.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, each carrier of the first setof additional carriers may be contiguous to another carrier of the firstset of additional carriers. Some examples of the method, apparatus, andnon-transitory computer-readable medium described above may furtherinclude processes, features, means, or instructions for receiving anuplink message from the first wireless device on resources of the firstcarrier in the first narrowband region.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for receiving an indication of acapability or category of the first wireless device on resources of thefirst carrier, where the configuration of the first set of additionalcarriers may be based at least in part on the capability or category ofthe first wireless device. In some examples of the method, apparatus,and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above, a number ofcarriers in the first set of additional carriers in the configurationmay be based at least in part on the capability or category of the firstwireless device.

In some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above, transmitting the assignment ofresources includes transmitting a downlink control message having aformat that may be based at least in part on the capability or categoryof the first wireless device. In some examples of the method, apparatus,and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above,communicating on the first set of additional carriers includestransmitting a downlink data message on the resources of the first setof additional carriers, where a format of the downlink data message maybe based at least in part on the capability or category of the firstwireless device.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for receiving an uplink control messageon resources of the first carrier, where a format of the uplink controlmessage may be based at least in part on the capability or category ofthe first wireless device. In some examples of the method, apparatus,and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above,communicating on the first set of additional carriers includes receivingan uplink control message or an uplink data message on the resources ofthe first set of additional carriers, where a format of the uplinkcontrol message or the uplink data message may be based at least in parton the capability or category of the first wireless device.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transmitting a system informationbroadcast message on resources of the first carrier, where the systeminformation broadcast message identifies the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. Some examplesof the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable mediumdescribed above may further include processes, features, means, orinstructions for performing a random access procedure with the firstwireless device using resources of the first carrier, where theconfiguration message may be transmitted during the random accessprocedure. Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium described above may further include processes,features, means, or instructions for transmitting one or moresynchronization signals on resources of the first carrier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system thatsupports narrowband communication for different device capabilities inunlicensed spectrum in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system thatsupports narrowband communication for different device capabilities inunlicensed spectrum in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a carrier configuration for narrowbandcommunication in an unlicensed spectrum for different devicecapabilities in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow that supports narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in unlicensed spectrumin accordance with aspects of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 5 through 7 show block diagrams of a device or devices thatsupport narrowband communication for different device capabilities inunlicensed spectrum in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a device thatsupports narrowband communication for different device capabilities inunlicensed spectrum in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 9 through 11 show block diagrams of a device or devices thatsupport narrowband communication for different device capabilities inunlicensed spectrum in accordance with aspects of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a device, suchas a base station, that supports narrowband communication for differentdevice capabilities in unlicensed spectrum in accordance with aspects ofthe present disclosure;

FIGS. 13 through 16 illustrate methods for narrowband communication fordifferent device capabilities in unlicensed spectrum in accordance withaspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Resources for narrowband communication in an unlicensed radio frequencyspectrum band may be configured and allocated based on resourceavailability, regulatory constraints, device capability or category,etc. Machine type communication (MTC) devices or other relatively lowcomplexity devices, including those associated with the Internet ofThings (IoT), may communicate using one or more narrowband carriers,which may occupy between one tone and multiple resource blocks in anunlicensed spectrum band. In some cases, different countries may havedifferent amounts of bandwidth available in unlicensed spectra.Different device types may thus be configured differently as they movebetween geographic regions.

By way of example, MTC (or enhanced MTC (eMTC)) and IoT devices maytransmit a relatively low amount of data periodically (or whenrequested) rather than continuously exchanging information with a basestation (or other serving station). Such devices may include meters(e.g., water meter, gas meter), sensors (e.g., smoke detector, lightsensor), or wearable technology (e.g., smart watches), which may havelimited battery life or may be located at the edges of cell coverageareas. Instead of operating using a traditional deployment designed forhigh data rates or continuous communication (e.g., Long Term Evolution(LTE)/LTE-Advanced (LTE-A)), these devices may communicate usingdeployments designed to reduce the complexity of devices, increasecoverage, and provide better battery life.

Further, eMTC and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) devices may communicate in anunlicensed frequency spectrum band when resources in a licensed spectrumare unavailable (e.g., due to increased data traffic, high usage fees,etc.). Either eMTC or NB-IoT techniques may be supported by a basestation and used by devices communicating at relatively low data ratesor in low signal to noise ratio (SNR) environments.

While eMTC deployments may offer some advantages over NB-IoT deploymentsin certain scenarios (e.g., resource flexibility, channel qualityfeedback, and frequency diversity), cell acquisition may take two tothree times longer in an eMTC deployment than in an NB-IoT deployment.Depending on a geographic region of operation, the resource flexibilityof an eMTC deployment may allow a device to satisfy, for example,bandwidth requirements (e.g., for a given application). As for NB-IoTdeployments, faster cell acquisition procedures of these deployments mayallow more efficient (e.g., energy efficient) use of resources in anunlicensed frequency spectrum band. Accordingly, it may be appropriateto provide improved system performance to support narrowband techniquesthat facilitate flexible deployment operation (e.g., eMTC and NB-IoTdeployments) in multiple geographic regions that, in some cases, may beassociated with varying available spectrum or bandwidth.

As described herein, a wireless communications system may supportefficient narrowband techniques for facilitating flexible deploymentoperation. In some examples, a narrowband wireless device may receive aconfiguration on a first carrier for communication on additionalcarriers of an unlicensed spectrum band. The narrowband wireless devicemay then receive an assignment of resources to use for communication onthe additional carriers. Based on the resource assignment and theconfiguration of the multiple carriers, the narrowband wireless devicemay communicate with a base station in the unlicensed spectrum using theadditional carriers. These techniques for narrowband communication in anunlicensed spectrum may allow for efficient use of an unlicensedspectrum in different geographic regions.

Aspects of the disclosure introduced above are described below in thecontext of a wireless communications system. Examples of processes andsignaling exchanges that support narrowband communication for differentdevice capabilities in an unlicensed spectrum are then described.Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described withreference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts thatrelate to narrowband communication for different device capabilities inan unlicensed spectrum.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wirelesscommunications system 100 includes base stations 105, user equipment(UE)s 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wirelesscommunications system 100 may be an LTE (or LTE-A) network. In someimplementations, the wireless communications system 100 may supportcommunication between base stations 105 and UEs 115 with differentcapabilities.

Base stations 105 may wirelessly communicate with UEs 115 via one ormore base station antennas. Each base station 105 may providecommunication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110.Communication links 125 shown in wireless communications system 100 mayinclude uplink (UL) transmissions from a UE 115 to a base station 105,or downlink (DL) transmissions, from a base station 105 to a UE 115. UEs115 may be dispersed throughout the wireless communications system 100,and each UE 115 may be stationary or mobile.

A UE 115 may also be referred to as a mobile station, a subscriberstation, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remoteunit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communicationsdevice, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an accessterminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, ahandset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitableterminology.

A UE 115 may be capable of narrowband communication, and may be acellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, awireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, alaptop computer, a cordless phone, a personal electronic device, ahandheld device, a personal computer, a wireless local loop (WLL)station, an IoT device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, an

MTC device, an appliance, an automobile, or the like. Some UEs 115 maybe wearable devices, such as personal biometric or fitness monitors,location tracking devices, sensors, monitors, or the like.

Base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130 and with oneanother. For example, base stations 105 may interface with the corenetwork 130 through backhaul links 132 (e.g., S1, etc.). Base stations105 may communicate with one another over backhaul links 134 (e.g., X2,etc.) either directly or indirectly (e.g., through core network 130).Base stations 105 may perform radio configuration and scheduling forcommunication with UEs 115, or may operate under the control of a basestation controller (not shown). In some examples, base stations 105 maybe macro cells, small cells, hot spots, or the like. Base stations 105may also be referred to as eNodeBs (eNBs) 105.

In some cases, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carrydownlink control information (DCI) in at least one control channelelement (CCE), which may consist of nine logically contiguous resourceelement groups (REGs), where each REG contains four (4) resourceelements. DCI includes information regarding downlink schedulingassignments, uplink resource grants, transmission scheme, uplink powercontrol, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARD) information, modulationand coding scheme (MCS), etc.

The size and format of the DCI messages can differ depending on the typeand amount of information that is carried by the DCI. For example, ifspatial multiplexing is supported, the size of the DCI message may belarge compared to contiguous frequency allocations. Similarly, for asystem that employs multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), the DCI mayinclude additional signaling information. DCI size and format may dependon the amount of information as well as factors such as bandwidth, thenumber of antenna ports, and duplexing mode. PDCCH can carry DCImessages associated with multiple users, and each UE 115 may decode theDCI messages that are intended for it. For example, each UE 115 may beassigned a cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI) and each DCImay be scrambled based on the C-RNTI. Additionally, the size and formatof the DCI messages, or the PDCCH carrying DCI, may depend on acapability or category of a device that is intended to receive the DCIor PDCCH. A PDCCH or other downlink control message may be configuredfor eMTC devices and NB-IoT devices, and the configuration of suchmessages may account for the relatively low complexity or low-powerpreference for eMTC and NB-IoT devices.

To reduce power consumption and overhead at the UE 115 (e.g., eMTC orNB-IoT device), a limited set of CCE locations can be specified for DCIassociated with a specific UE 115. CCEs may be grouped (e.g., in groupsof 1, 2, 4 and 8 CCEs), and a set of CCE locations in which UE 115 mayfind relevant DCI may be specified. These CCEs may be known as a searchspace. The search space can be partitioned into two regions: a commonCCE region or search space and a UE-specific (dedicated) CCE region orsearch space. The common CCE region is monitored by all UEs 115 servedby a base station 105 and may include information such as paginginformation, system information, random access procedures and the like.The UE-specific search space may be smaller for an eMTC device andsmaller still for a NB-IoT device.

The UE-specific search space may include user-specific controlinformation. CCEs may be indexed, and the common search space may startfrom CCE 0. The starting index for a UE specific search space may dependon the C-RNTI, the subframe index, the CCE aggregation level and arandom seed. A UE 115 may attempt to decode DCI by performing a processknown as a blind decode, during which search spaces are randomly decodeduntil the DCI is detected. During a blind decode, the UE 115 may attemptto descramble all potential DCI messages using its C-RNTI.

Data may be divided into logical channels, transport channels, andphysical layer channels. Channels may also be classified into controlchannels and traffic channels. Logical control channels may include apaging control channel (PCCH) for paging information, a broadcastcontrol channel (BCCH) for broadcast system control information, amulticast control channel (MCCH) for transmitting multimediabroadcast/multicast services (MBMS) scheduling and control information,a dedicated control channel (DCCH) for transmitting dedicated controlinformation, a common control channel (CCCH) for random accessinformation, a dedicated traffic channel (DTCH) for dedicated UE data,and an MBMS traffic channel (MTCH), for multicast data. Downlinktransport channels may include a broadcast channel (BCH) for broadcastinformation, a downlink shared channel (DL-SCH) for data transfer, apaging channel (PCH) for paging information, and a multicast channel(MCH) for multicast transmissions. Uplink transport channels may includea random access channel (RACH) for access and an uplink shared channel(UL-SCH) for data.

Downlink physical channels may include a physical broadcast channel(PBCH) for broadcast information, a physical control format indicatorchannel (PCFICH) for control format information, a physical downlinkcontrol channel (PDCCH) for control and scheduling information, aphysical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH) for HARQ status messages, aphysical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for user data and a physicalmulticast channel (PMCH) for multicast data. Uplink physical channelsmay include a physical random access channel (PRACH) for accessmessages, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for control data,and a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for user data. The downlinkphysical channels employed for communication for eMTC or NB-IoTcommunication may be tailored or configured for the low complexity,low-power preferences of such devices. For example, PDSCH or PUSCH, orboth, may be configured with relatively small payloads, compared withPDSCH and PUSCH for more capable UEs 115 (e.g., UEs 115 with multipleradio frequency (RF) chains, capable of carrier aggregation, etc.).

A UE 115 attempting to access a wireless network may perform an initialcell search by detecting a primary synchronization signal (PSS) from abase station 105. The PSS may enable synchronization of slot timing andmay indicate a physical layer identity value. The UE 115 may thenreceive a secondary synchronization signal (SSS). The SSS may enableradio frame synchronization, and may provide a cell identity value,which may be combined with the physical layer identity value to identifythe cell. The SSS may also enable detection of a duplexing mode and acyclic prefix length. Some systems, such as time division duplexing(TDD) systems, may transmit an SSS but not a PSS. The PSS and the SSSmay be located in the central 62 and 72 subcarriers of a carrier,respectively. Alternatively, the location of PSS and SSS may depend on aparticular application or deployment. For example, a system operating inan unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band may broadcast PSS or SSS ata location known to eMTC or NB-IoT devices, but the locations may spanfewer subcarriers than LTE deployments and, as discussed below, may betransmitted on an anchor carrier.

After receiving the PSS and SSS, the UE 115 may receive a masterinformation block (MIB), which may be transmitted in the PBCH or on aspecific broadcast channel for narrowband devices, such as eMTC orNB-IoT devices. The MIB may contain system bandwidth information, singlefrequency network (SFN) information, and a PHICH configuration. The MIBmay also contain system information that provides information aboutadditional narrowband carriers, resource availability, regulatoryconstraints, or the like. Some or all of this additional information mayalso be included in other system information blocks (SIBs). Afterdecoding the MIB, the UE 115 may receive one or more Ms. For example,SIB1 may contain cell access parameters and scheduling information forother Ms. Decoding SIB1 may enable the UE 115 to receive SIB2. SIB2 maycontain radio resource control (RRC) configuration information relatedto RACH procedures, paging, PUCCH, PUSCH, power control, soundingreference signals (SRSs), and cell barring.

In some cases, a base station 105 and a UE 115 may communicate usingmore than one carrier. Each aggregated carrier may be referred to as acomponent carrier (CC). Each CC can have a bandwidth of, e.g., 1.4, 3,5, 10, 15 or 20 MHz. But aggregation of such carriers may be unhelpfulor not applicable in the eMTC and NB-IoT context. For example, carrieraggregation may be designed to facilitate large bandwidths in thedownlink, while eMTC and NB-IoT may be principally concerned withasymmetric uplink communications. Additionally, eMTC and NB-IoT mayoperate in bands significantly narrower than a single CC. As discussedbelow, some eMTC and NB-IoT devices may communicate on multiplenarrowband carriers, and this communication may support degrees ofnarrowband operation and may thus be distinct from the wide bandwidthsfacilitated by carrier aggregation. Likewise, in eMTC and NB-IoT, uplinkcontrol information may be transmitted on one or multiple narrowbandcarriers, rather than a single designated primary cell. Additionally,each narrowband carrier that supports eMTC or NB-IoT may not beassociated with a different cell but may be different frequencies of acell of one base station 105 or access point operating in an unlicensedradio frequency spectrum band.

In some cases, wireless system 100 may utilize both licensed andunlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, wireless system100 may employ LTE License Assisted Access (LTE-LAA) or LTE Unlicensed(LTE U) radio access technology in an unlicensed band, such as the 5 GHzIndustrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. When operating inunlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands, wireless devices such as basestations 105 and UEs 115 may employ listen-before-talk (LBT) proceduresto ensure the channel is clear before transmitting data. Operations inan unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplinktransmissions, or both. Duplexing in an unlicensed spectrum may be basedon frequency division duplexing (FDD), TDD, or a combination of both.

Devices operating in a shared or unlicensed frequency spectrum mayperform an LBT procedure such as a clear channel assessment (CCA) priorto communicating in order to determine whether the channel is available.A CCA may include an energy detection procedure to determine whetherthere are any other active transmissions. For example, the device mayinfer that a change in a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of apower meter indicates that a channel is occupied. Specifically, signalpower that is concentrated in a certain bandwidth and exceeds apredetermined noise floor may indicate another wireless transmitter. ACCA may also include detection of specific sequences that indicate useof the channel. For example, another device may transmit a specificpreamble prior to transmitting a data sequence.

Some types of wireless devices may provide for automated communication.Automated wireless devices may include those implementingMachine-to-Machine (M2M) communication or MTC. M2M or MTC may refer todata communication technologies that allow devices to communicate withone another or a base station without human intervention. For example,M2M or MTC may refer to communications from devices that integratesensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay thatinformation to a central server or application program that can make useof the information or present the information to humans interacting withthe program or application.

As mentioned, some UEs 115 may be MTC devices, such as those designed tocollect information or enable automated behavior of machines. Examplesof applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventorymonitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcaremonitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological eventmonitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing,physical access control, and transaction-based business charging. An MTCdevice may operate using half-duplex (one-way) communications at areduced peak rate. MTC devices may also be configured to enter apower-saving “deep sleep” mode when not engaging in activecommunications.

An eMTC device may also operate using half-duplex communications at areduced peak rate. eMTC devices may also be configured to enter apower-saving “deep sleep” mode when not engaging in activecommunications. An eMTC deployment may provide resource flexibility andmay use some channels associated with an LTE/LTE-A system and otherchannels in an unlicensed spectrum. In some examples, eMTC devices maycommunicate over a scalable bandwidth (e.g., between one (1) resourceblock (RB) and six (6) RBs), and eMTC devices may have a maximum datarate of one (1) Mbps. eMTC devices may be power limited and may supportfeatures that limit power usage. However, an acquisition procedure forthe transition of an eMTC device from an idle mode to a connected modemay be power consuming. Additionally or alternatively, an eMTC devicemay be designed for operation in an in-band deployment mode. For astandalone deployment mode (e.g., in an unlicensed spectrum), thephysical (PHY), media access control (MAC), and upper layer proceduresat the eMTC device may be cumbersome.

NB-IoT devices may be a subset of eMTC devices or low power devices thatsupport a higher maximum coupling loss (MCL) and may includesynchronization channels that support power boosting for faster cellacquisition and search. These features allow for increased efficiencyfor operation of NB-IoT devices in a standalone deployment mode (e.g.,in an unlicensed spectrum) when compared to eMTC devices. Additionally,an acquisition procedure for the transition of an NB-IoT device from anidle mode to a connected mode may not be as power consuming as the sameprocedure for an eMTC device. However, NB-IoT devices may not supportcommunication over a scalable bandwidth. Instead, NB-IoT devices maycommunicate using a range of resources between one (1) tone and one (1)RB with a maximum data rate of 66 kbps for uplink communication. In somecases, this range of resources may not conform to the minimum bandwidthrequirement for operation in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., depending ona geographic region). Additionally, this range of resources may notallow a device to transmit with the minimum power for transmission in anunlicensed spectrum. Therefore, wireless communications system 100 maybe modified to support features of both NB-IoT deployments and eMTCdeployments.

Accordingly, wireless communications system 100 may supportcommunication over scalable bandwidths for a single network of deviceswith different capabilities. A base station 105 may configure UE 115 forcommunication on multiple carriers based on the capability or a categoryof the UE 115. The base station 105 may then allocate resources forcommunication with UE 115 based on the configuration. The resourceallocation may be for communication on a single carrier or multiplecarriers of an unlicensed spectrum. Each carrier may be associated witha different narrowband region of the unlicensed spectrum. Afterreceiving the resource allocation (or assignment of resources) UE 115may communicate with base station 105 using the allocated resources.Base station 105 may format control and data signals for transmissionsto UE 115 (or vice versa) based on the allocation of resources and thecapabilities of the UE 115.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of a wireless communications system 200illustrating an example of narrowband communication for different devicecapabilities in an unlicensed spectrum in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure. Wireless communications system 200may include base station 105-a, which may be an example of a basestation 105 described with reference to FIG. 1. Wireless communicationssystem 200 may also include UE 115-a, which may be an example of a UE115 described with reference to FIG. 1. Base station 105-a may providecommunication coverage for a respective coverage area 110-a, which maybe an example of a coverage area 110 described with reference to FIG. 1.Base station 105-a may communicate with UE 115-a using an anchor carrier205 and/or using non-anchor carriers 210. In some cases, each carrier ofthe non-anchor carriers 210 may be contiguous to another carrier of thenon-anchor carriers 210.

Wireless communications system 200 may support techniques for narrowbandcommunication in an unlicensed spectrum that allow for efficient use ofthe unlicensed spectrum in multiple geographic regions. In someexamples, base station 105-a may perform an LBT procedure to gain accessto anchor carrier 205. After gaining access to anchor carrier 205, basestation 105-a may transmit a configuration message to UE 115-a. UE 115-amay monitor anchor carrier 205 for the configuration message and receivethe configuration message from base station 105-a. The configurationmessage may identify a configuration of non-anchor carriers 210 forcommunication with base station 105-a in the unlicensed spectrum. Insome cases, the configuration message may be included in RRC signalingwhen, for example, UE 115-a is in a connected mode. The anchor carrier205 and non-anchor carriers 210 may each occupy a different narrowbandregion of the unlicensed spectrum.

In some cases, base station 105-a may transmit the configuration messagealong with synchronization signals (e.g., PSS and/or SSS) on anchorcarrier 205. UE 115-a may monitor anchor carrier 205 and receive thesynchronization signals from base station 105-a. UE 115-a may thenidentify the configuration message in the synchronization signaltransmission. The anchor carrier may be used for communication with aspecific UE (e.g., UE 115-a) or for communication with multiple UEs 115.In some cases, UE 115-a may be preconfigured to monitor anchor carrier205 for the synchronization signals. By monitoring the single anchorcarrier 205 instead of multiple carriers, UE 115-a may reduce powerconsumption. Additionally or alternatively, UE 115-a may perform arandom access procedure (e.g., using a physical random access channel(PRACH)) to gain access to anchor carrier 205, and UE 115-a may receivethe configuration message during the random access procedure.

After identifying the configuration indicated by the configurationmessage, UE 115-a may transition from an RRC-idle mode to anRRC-connected mode and begin monitoring multiple carriers (e.g.,non-anchor carriers 210). UE 115-a may receive an allocation ofresources (e.g., between one (1) tone and multiple RBs) from basestation 105-a on non-anchor carriers 210 for communication with basestation 105-a. The resource allocation may depend on the configurationand may include time-frequency resources of the anchor carrier 205 ornon-anchor carriers 210. These techniques may support simultaneoustransmissions on a configurable number of carriers and may supportcommunication between base station 105-a and different device typedeployments (e.g., eMTC or NB-IoT devices). Additionally, the flexibleallocation of resources may support higher data rates for communicationbetween base station 105-a and UE 115-a in an unlicensed spectrum.

In some examples, the resource allocation from base station 105-a mayinclude resources allocated for downlink transmissions to UE 115-a. Basestation 105-a may transmit control messages to UE 115-a via a controlchannel (e.g., narrowband physical downlink control channel (NPDCCH) oreMTC physical downlink control channel (MPDCCH)). Base station 105-a mayformat the control message transmission based on the resources allocatedto UE 115-a (e.g., anchor carrier 205 and/or non-anchor carriers 210)and the capabilities of UE 115-a. In other examples, base station 105-amay transmit data to UE 115-a via a data channel (e.g., PDSCH). Basestation 105-a may format the data transmission based on the resourcesallocated to UE 115-a (e.g., anchor carrier 205 and/or non-anchorcarriers 210) and the capabilities of UE 115-a.

In other examples, the resource allocation from base station 105-a mayinclude resources allocated for uplink transmissions from UE 115-a. Insome examples, UE 115-a may transmit control messages to base station105-a via a control channel (e.g., PUCCH). UE 115-a may format thecontrol message transmission based on the resources allocated to UE115-a (e.g., anchor carrier 205 and/or non-anchor carriers 210) and thecapabilities of UE 115-a. In other examples, UE 115-a may transmit datato base station 105-a via a data channel (e.g., narrowband physicaluplink shared channel (NPUSCH) or eMTC physical uplink shared channel(MPUSCH)). UE 115-a may format the data transmission based on theresources allocated to UE 115-a (e.g., anchor carrier 205 and/ornon-anchor carriers 210) and the capabilities of UE 115-a.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a carrier configuration 300 fornarrowband communication in an unlicensed spectrum for different devicecapabilities in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.Carrier configuration 300 may include an anchor carrier 310, which maybe an example of anchor carrier 205 described with reference to FIG. 2.Carrier configuration 300 may also include non-anchor carriers 315 andnon-anchor carrier 320, which may be examples of non-anchor carriers 210described with reference to FIG. 2.

With increasing data traffic in cellular networks, the offloading of atleast some data traffic to an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band305 may provide a cellular operator with opportunities for enhanced datatransmission capacity. In some cases, devices associated with aplurality of mobile network operators may compete with each other toaccess an unlicensed or shared licensed radio frequency. Therefore, oncea base station 105 or UE 115 gains access to an unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band 305, it may be beneficial to support efficientuse of the resources of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band305.

A first UE 115 (not shown in FIG. 3, but which may be an example of a UE115 depicted in FIG. 1, for example) may monitor a portion of or all ofthe frequencies of anchor carrier 310-a (e.g., a downlink portion) for adownlink transmission, and a second UE 115 (not shown in FIG. 3, butwhich may be an example of a UE 115 depicted in FIG. 1, for example) maymonitor a portion of or all of the frequencies of anchor carrier 310-a(e.g., a downlink portion) for a downlink transmission from a basestation 105 (not shown in FIG. 3, but which may be an example of a basestation 105 depicted in FIG. 1, for example). By monitoring an anchorcarrier 310, the first UE 115 and second UE 115 may conserve power whencompared to monitoring multiple carriers for the downlink transmissionfrom the base station 105.

The first UE 115 may receive a first configuration message on anchorcarrier 310-a, and the second UE 115 may receive a second configurationmessage on anchor carrier 310-a. Each configuration message may indicatea configuration for additional carriers for each UE 115 to use forcommunication with the base station 105. Alternatively, each UE 115 maybe configured to monitor different anchor carriers with differentbandwidths and/or center frequencies in the unlicensed radio frequencyspectrum band 305. The first UE 115 may decode (e.g., blindly decode)the first configuration message and identify non-anchor carriers 315 foruse in communicating with a base station 105. In some cases, eachcarrier of the non-anchor carriers 315 may be contiguous to anothercarrier of the non-anchor carriers 315 (e.g., non-anchor carrier 315-amay be contiguous to non-anchor carrier 315-b). The second UE 115 maydecode (e.g., blindly decode) the second configuration message andidentify non-anchor carrier 320 for use in communicating with basestation 105. In some examples, each non-anchor carrier 315 or 320 in theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band 305 may be located in adifferent narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband 305.

After determining the configuration of additional carriers forcommunication, first UE 115 may begin to monitor non-anchor carriers 315in addition to monitoring anchor carrier 310-b (e.g., which may be thesame as anchor carrier 310-a). Similarly, second UE 115 may begin tomonitor non-anchor carrier 320 in addition to monitoring anchor carrier310-b. This may include tuning an RF chain at the first UE 115 toreceive signals on non-anchor carriers 315, and tuning an RF chain atthe second UE 115 to receive signals on non-anchor carrier 320. First UE115 may then receive a resource allocation on non-anchor carriers 315for communication with a base station 105 on non-anchor carriers 315. Insome cases, the resource allocation may not be for communication on allof the non-anchor carriers 315.

The second UE 115 may also receive a resource allocation on non-anchorcarrier 320 for communication with a base station 105 on non-anchorcarrier 320. Each UE 115 may then communicate with base station 105based on the resource allocation and the configured carriers. Theconfiguration of carriers and resource allocation may be based on thecapability or category of a device operating in unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band 305. This method of narrowband communication inan unlicensed spectrum may allow consistent operation across multiplegeographic regions since configurations and resource allocations may beflexible depending on, for example, bandwidth and transmit powerrequirements in different geographic regions. The first UE 115 maytransmit on non-anchor carriers 315 and on a portion or all of thefrequencies of anchor carrier 310-b (e.g., an uplink portion). Thesecond UE 115 may transmit on non-anchor carrier 320 and on a portion orall of the frequencies of anchor carrier 310-b (e.g., the uplinkportion).

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 for narrowbandcommunication in an unlicensed spectrum for different devicecapabilities in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Insome cases, process flow 400 may represent aspects of techniquesperformed by a UE 115 or base station 105 as described with reference toFIG. 1, 2, or 3. In the present example, a base station 105-b maycommunicate with a UE 115-b in an unlicensed spectrum. UE 115-b may be alow data rate device, such as an NB-IoT device, or another deviceoperating in a low SNR environment with a limited power supply.

At step 405, base station 105-b may transmit and UE 115-b may receive aconfiguration message on resources of a first carrier (e.g., an anchorcarrier as described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3) in a firstnarrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. Insome cases, prior to the configuration message transmission, UE 115-bmay transmit an indication of a capability or category of UE 115-b tobase station 105-b on the first carrier (e.g., on an uplink portion ofthe anchor carrier). In such cases, the configuration message may bebased on the capability or category of UE 115-b. In some examples, UE115-b may perform a random access procedure using resources of the firstcarrier, and UE 115-b may receive the configuration message during therandom access procedure. Base station 105-b may also transmit anadditional configuration message on the first carrier in the firstnarrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to asecond UE 115 (not shown). The additional configuration message mayidentify a configuration of a second set of additional carriers that mayeach be in different narrowband regions.

At block 410, UE 115-b may identify a configuration of additionalcarriers (e.g., non-anchor carriers as described with reference to FIGS.2 and 3) for communication with base station 105-b based on theconfiguration message. In some cases, each carrier of the additionalcarriers may be in a different narrowband region of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band. Additionally or alternatively, the additionalcarriers may be contiguous to one another. In some examples, thebandwidth of each narrowband region may include a bandwidth of twelve(12) LTE subcarriers (e.g., one (1) RB). The configuration of theadditional carriers may be based on the capability or category of UE115-b. In some cases, UE 115-b may receive a system informationbroadcast message on resources of the first carrier, and UE 115-b mayidentify the different narrowband regions of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band based on the system information broadcastmessage. Additionally or alternatively, the number of carriers in theconfiguration may be based on the capability or category of UE 115-b.

In some cases, UE 115-b may receive synchronization signals (e.g., PSSsand/or SSSs) on resources of the first carrier (e.g., the anchorcarrier). UE 115-b may monitor for the synchronization signals whileoperating in an RRC idle mode. UE 115-b may identify a location of thefirst narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bandbased on the synchronization signals. Additionally or alternatively, UE115-b may determine that base station 105-b has gained access to thefirst narrowband region and the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band based on receiving thesynchronization signals. UE 115-b may then tune one or more RF chains tofrequencies of the different narrowband regions based on determiningthat the base station gained access to the first narrowband region andthe different narrowband regions.

At step 415, base station 105-b may transmit, and UE 115-b may receive,an assignment of resources on the additional carriers in the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. Insome cases, base station 105-b may include the resource assignment in adownlink control message (e.g., DCI), and the format of the downlinkcontrol message may be based on the capability or category of UE 115-b.

At step 420, UE 115-b and base station 105-b may communicate on theadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to the resourceassignment. In some examples, base station 105-b may transmit and UE115-b may receive a downlink data message on the resources of theadditional carriers, and the format of the downlink data message may bebased on the capability or category of UE 115-b. In further examples, UE115-b may transmit an uplink control message or an uplink data messageon resources of the first carrier, and the format of the uplink messagemay be based on the capability or category of UE 115-b. In yet furthercases, UE 115-b may transmit an uplink control message or an uplink datamessage on resources of the additional carriers, and the format of theuplink message may be based on the capability or category of UE 115-b.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram 500 of a wireless device 505 that supportsnarrowband communication for different device capabilities in anunlicensed spectrum in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Wireless device 505 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115as described with reference to FIG. 1. Wireless device 505 may includereceiver 510, UE narrowband communications manager 515, and transmitter520. Wireless device 505 may also include a processor. Each of thesecomponents may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one ormore buses).

Receiver 510 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum, etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of thedevice. The receiver 510 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver835 described with reference to FIG. 8.

UE narrowband communications manager 515 may be an example of aspects ofthe UE narrowband communications manager 815 described with reference toFIG. 8. UE narrowband communications manager 515 may receive aconfiguration message on resources of a first carrier in a firstnarrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band;identify, based on the configuration message, a configuration of one ormore additional carriers that are each in a different narrowband regionof the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; receive, on resourcesof the first carrier, an assignment of resources on the one or moreadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; and communicate on the one ormore additional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to the assignment.

Transmitter 520 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 520 may be collocated witha receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 520may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 835 described withreference to FIG. 8. The transmitter 520 may include a single antenna,or it may include a set of antennas.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram 600 of a wireless device 605 that supportsnarrowband communication for different device capabilities in anunlicensed spectrum in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Wireless device 605 may be an example of aspects of awireless device 505 or a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGS. 1through 5. Wireless device 605 may include receiver 610, UE narrowbandcommunications manager 615, and transmitter 620. Wireless device 605 mayalso include a processor. Each of these components may be incommunication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 610 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum, etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of thedevice. The receiver 610 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver835 described with reference to FIG. 8.

UE narrowband communications manager 615 may be an example of aspects ofthe UE narrowband communications manager 815 described with reference toFIG. 8. UE narrowband communications manager 615 may also includeconfiguration messaging component 625, configuration identifier 630,resource assignment manager 635, and narrowband communication component640. Configuration messaging component 625 may receive (e.g., fromreceiver 610) a configuration message on resources of a first carrier ina first narrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband. Configuration identifier 630 may identify, based on theconfiguration message, a configuration of one or more additionalcarriers that are each in a different narrowband region of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

Resource assignment manager 635 may receive (e.g., from receiver 610),on resources of the first carrier, an assignment of resources on the oneor more additional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. Narrowband communicationcomponent 640 may communicate (e.g., via receiver 610 and transmitter620) on the one or more additional carriers in the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to theassignment and transmit an uplink message on resources of the firstcarrier in the first narrowband region. In some cases, the one or moreadditional carriers are contiguous to one another. In some cases, abandwidth of each narrowband region includes a bandwidth of twelve LTEsubcarriers (one (1) RB).

Transmitter 620 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 620 may be collocated witha receiver 610 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 620may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 835 described withreference to FIG. 8. The transmitter 620 may include a single antenna,or it may include a set of antennas.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a UE narrowband communicationsmanager 715 that supports narrowband communication for different devicecapabilities in an unlicensed spectrum in accordance with variousaspects of the present disclosure. The UE narrowband communicationsmanager 715 may be an example of aspects of a UE narrowbandcommunications manager 515, a UE narrowband communications manager 615,or a UE narrowband communications manager 815 described with referenceto FIGS. 5, 6, and 8. The UE narrowband communications manager 715 mayinclude configuration messaging component 720, configuration identifier725, resource assignment manager 730, narrowband communication component735, device capability manager 740, system information manager 745,random access component 750, and synchronization component 755. Each ofthese modules may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another(e.g., via one or more buses).

Configuration messaging component 720 may receive a configurationmessage on resources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region ofan unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. Configuration identifier725 may identify, based on the configuration message, a configuration ofone or more additional carriers that are each in a different narrowbandregion of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. Resourceassignment manager 730 may receive, on resources of the first carrier,an assignment of resources on the one or more additional carriers in thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband.

Narrowband communication component 735 may communicate on the one ormore additional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to the assignment andtransmit an uplink message on resources of the first carrier in thefirst narrowband region. In some cases, the one or more additionalcarriers are contiguous to one another. In some cases, a bandwidth ofeach narrowband region includes a bandwidth of twelve LTE subcarriers(1RB).

Device capability manager 740 may transmit an indication of a capabilityor category of a wireless device on resources of the first carrier,where the configuration of the one or more additional carriers is basedon the capability or category of the wireless device and transmit anuplink control message on resources of the first carrier, where a formatof the uplink control message is based on the capability or category ofthe wireless device. In some cases, a number of the one or moreadditional carriers in the configuration is based on the capability orcategory of the wireless device. In some cases, receiving the assignmentof resources includes receiving a downlink control message having aformat that is based on the capability or category of the wirelessdevice. In some cases, communicating on the one or more additionalcarriers includes receiving a downlink data message on the resources ofthe one or more additional carriers, where a format of the downlink datamessage is based on the capability or category of the wireless device.In some cases, communicating on the one or more additional carriersincludes transmitting an uplink control message or an uplink datamessage on the resources of the one or more additional carriers, where aformat of the uplink control message or the uplink data message is basedon the capability or category of the wireless device.

System information manager 745 may receive a system informationbroadcast message on resources of the first carrier and identify thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband based on the system information broadcast message. Random accesscomponent 750 may perform a random access procedure using resources ofthe first carrier, where the configuration message is received duringthe random access procedure.

Synchronization component 755 may receive one or more synchronizationsignals on resources of the first carrier, identify a location of thefirst narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bandbased on the one or more synchronization signals, determine that a basestation has gained access to the first narrowband region and thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband based on receiving the one or more synchronization signals, tuneone or more RF chains to frequencies of the different narrowband regionsbased on determining that the base station gained access to the firstnarrowband region and the different narrowband regions, and monitor forthe one or more synchronization signals while operating in an RRC idlemode. In some cases, the one or more synchronization signals include aPSS and a SSS.

FIG. 8 shows a diagram of a system 800 including a device 805 thatsupports narrowband communication for different device capabilities inan unlicensed spectrum in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Device 805 may be an example of or include the components ofwireless device 505, wireless device 605, or a UE 115 as describedabove, e.g., with reference to FIGS. 1, 5 and 6. Device 805 may includecomponents for bi-directional voice and data communications includingcomponents for transmitting and receiving communications, including UEnarrowband communications manager 815, processor 820, memory 825,software 830, transceiver 835, antenna 840, and I/O controller 845.These components may be in electronic communication via one or morebusses (e.g., bus 810). Device 805 may communicate wirelessly with oneor more base stations 105.

Processor 820 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., ageneral-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a centralprocessing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), aprogrammable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logiccomponent, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof).In some cases, processor 820 may be configured to operate a memory arrayusing a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller may beintegrated into processor 820. Processor 820 may be configured toexecute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to performvarious functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum).

Memory 825 may include random access memory (RAM) and read only memory(ROM). The memory 825 may store computer-readable, computer-executablesoftware 830 including instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases,the memory 825 may contain, among other things, a basic input/outputsystem (BIOS) which may control basic hardware and/or software operationsuch as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

Software 830 may include code to implement aspects of the presentdisclosure, including code to support narrowband communication fordifferent device capabilities in an unlicensed spectrum. Software 830may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such assystem memory or other memory. In some cases, the software 830 may notbe directly executable by the processor but may cause a computer (e.g.,when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

Transceiver 835 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 835 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicatebi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 835may also include a modem to modulate the packets and provide themodulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and to demodulatepackets received from the antennas.

In some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 840.However, in some cases the device may have more than one antenna 840,which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiplewireless transmissions. I/O controller 845 may manage input and outputsignals for device 805. I/O controller 845 may also manage peripheralsnot integrated into device 805. In some cases, I/O controller 845 mayrepresent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. Insome cases, I/O controller 845 may utilize an operating system such asiOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS/2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or anotherknown operating system.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a wireless device 905 that supportsnarrowband communication for different device capabilities in anunlicensed spectrum in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Wireless device 905 may be an example of aspects of a basestation 105 as described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. Wirelessdevice 905 may include receiver 910, base station narrowbandcommunications manager 915, and transmitter 920. Wireless device 905 mayalso include a processor. Each of these components may be incommunication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 910 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum, etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of thedevice. The receiver 910 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver1235 described with reference to FIG. 12.

Base station narrowband communications manager 915 may be an example ofaspects of the base station narrowband communications manager 1215described with reference to FIG. 12. Base station narrowbandcommunications manager 915 may transmit (e.g., via transmitter 920) aconfiguration message on resources of a first carrier in a firstnarrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to afirst wireless device, where the configuration message identifies aconfiguration of a first set of additional carriers that are each in adifferent narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband, transmit, on resources of the first carrier to the first wirelessdevice, an assignment of resources on the first set of additionalcarriers in the different narrowband regions of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band, and communicate with the first wireless deviceon the first set of additional carriers in the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to theassignment.

Transmitter 920 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 920 may be collocated witha receiver 910 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 920may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235 described withreference to FIG. 12. The transmitter 920 may include a single antenna,or it may include a set of antennas.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram 1000 of a wireless device 1005 thatsupports narrowband communication for different device capabilities inan unlicensed spectrum in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Wireless device 1005 may be an example of aspects of awireless device 905 or a base station 105 as described with reference toFIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9. Wireless device 1005 may include receiver 1010,base station narrowband communications manager 1015, and transmitter1020. Wireless device 1005 may also include a processor. Each of thesecomponents may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one ormore buses).

Receiver 1010 may receive information such as packets, user data, orcontrol information associated with various information channels (e.g.,control channels, data channels, and information related to narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum, etc.). Information may be passed on to other components of thedevice. The receiver 1010 may be an example of aspects of thetransceiver 1235 described with reference to FIG. 12.

Base station narrowband communications manager 1015 may be an example ofaspects of the base station narrowband communications manager 1215described with reference to FIG. 12. Base station narrowbandcommunications manager 1015 may also include configuration messagingcomponent 1025, resource assignment manager 1030, and narrowbandcommunication component 1035. Configuration messaging component 1025 maytransmit a configuration message on resources of a first carrier in afirst narrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bandto a first wireless device, where the configuration message identifies aconfiguration of a first set of additional carriers that are each in adifferent narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband.

Resource assignment manager 1030 may transmit, on resources of the firstcarrier to the first wireless device, an assignment of resources on thefirst set of additional carriers in the different narrowband regions ofthe unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. Narrowband communicationcomponent 1035 may communicate with the first wireless device on thefirst set of additional carriers in the different narrowband regions ofthe unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to theassignment; transmit an additional configuration message on the firstcarrier in the first narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequencyspectrum band to a second wireless device, where the additionalconfiguration message identifies a configuration of a second set ofadditional carriers that are each different narrowband regions; andreceive an uplink message from the first wireless device on resources ofthe first carrier in the first narrowband region. In some cases, eachcarrier of the first set of additional carriers is contiguous to anothercarrier of the first set of additional carriers.

Transmitter 1020 may transmit signals generated by other components ofthe device. In some examples, the transmitter 1020 may be collocatedwith a receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. For example, thetransmitter 1020 may be an example of aspects of the transceiver 1235described with reference to FIG. 12. The transmitter 1020 may include asingle antenna, or it may include a set of antennas.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a base station narrowbandcommunications manager 1115 that supports narrowband communication fordifferent device capabilities in an unlicensed spectrum in accordancewith various aspects of the present disclosure. The base stationnarrowband communications manager 1115 may be an example of aspects of abase station narrowband communications manager 915, 1015, or 1215described with reference to FIGS. 9, 10, and 12. The base stationnarrowband communications manager 1115 may include configurationmessaging component 1120, resource assignment manager 1125, narrowbandcommunication component 1130, device capability manager 1135, systeminformation manager 1140, random access component 1145, andsynchronization component 1150. Each of these modules may communicate,directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Configuration messaging component 1120 may transmit a configurationmessage on resources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region ofan unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to a first wireless device,where the configuration message identifies a configuration of a firstset of additional carriers that are each in a different narrowbandregion of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. Resourceassignment manager 1125 may transmit, on resources of the first carrierto the first wireless device, an assignment of resources on the firstset of additional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

Narrowband communication component 1130 may communicate with the firstwireless device on the first set of additional carriers in the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bandaccording to the assignment; transmit an additional configurationmessage on the first carrier in the first narrowband region of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to a second wireless device,where the additional configuration message identifies a configuration ofa second set of additional carriers that are each different narrowbandregions; and receive an uplink message from the first wireless device onresources of the first carrier in the first narrowband region. In somecases, each carrier of the first set of additional carriers iscontiguous to another carrier of the first set of additional carriers.

Device capability manager 1135 may receive an indication of a capabilityor category of the first wireless device on resources of the firstcarrier, where the configuration of the first set of additional carriersis based on the capability or category of the first wireless device andreceive an uplink control message on resources of the first carrier,where a format of the uplink control message is based on the capabilityor category of the first wireless device. In some cases, a number ofcarriers in the first set of additional carriers in the configuration isbased on the capability or category of the first wireless device. Insome cases, transmitting the assignment of resources includestransmitting a downlink control message having a format that is based onthe capability or category of the first wireless device. In some cases,communicating on the first set of additional carriers includestransmitting a downlink data message on the resources of the first setof additional carriers, where a format of the downlink data message isbased on the capability or category of the first wireless device. Insome cases, communicating on the first set of additional carriersincludes receiving an uplink control message or an uplink data messageon the resources of the first set of additional carriers, where a formatof the uplink control message or the uplink data message is based on thecapability or category of the first wireless device.

System information manager 1140 may transmit a system informationbroadcast message on resources of the first carrier, where the systeminformation broadcast message identifies the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. Random accesscomponent 1145 may perform a random access procedure with the firstwireless device using resources of the first carrier, where theconfiguration message is transmitted during the random access procedure.Synchronization component 1150 may transmit one or more synchronizationsignals (e.g., PSSs or SSSs) on resources of the first carrier.

FIG. 12 shows a diagram of a system 1200 including a device 1205 thatsupports narrowband communication for different device capabilities inan unlicensed spectrum in accordance with various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Device 1205 may be an example of or include the componentsof base station 105 as described above, e.g., with reference to FIG. 1.Device 1205 may include components for bi-directional voice and datacommunications including components for transmitting and receivingcommunications, including base station narrowband communications manager1215, processor 1220, memory 1225, software 1230, transceiver 1235,antenna 1240, network communications manager 1245, and inter-basestation communications manager 1250. These components may be inelectronic communication via one or more busses (e.g., bus 1210). Device1205 may communicate wirelessly with one or more UEs 115.

Processor 1220 may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, anFPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logiccomponent, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof).In some cases, processor 1220 may be configured to operate a memoryarray using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller maybe integrated into processor 1220. Processor 1220 may be configured toexecute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to performvarious functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum).

Memory 1225 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1225 may storecomputer-readable, computer-executable software 1230 includinginstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform variousfunctions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1225 may contain,among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware and/orsoftware operation such as the interaction with peripheral components ordevices.

Software 1230 may include code to implement aspects of the presentdisclosure, including code to support narrowband communication fordifferent device capabilities in an unlicensed spectrum. Software 1230may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such assystem memory or other memory. In some cases, the software 1230 may notbe directly executable by the processor but may cause a computer (e.g.,when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

Transceiver 1235 may communicate bi-directionally, via one or moreantennas, wired, or wireless links as described above. For example, thetransceiver 1235 may represent a wireless transceiver and maycommunicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. Thetransceiver 1235 may also include a modem to modulate the packets andprovide the modulated packets to the antennas for transmission, and todemodulate packets received from the antennas. In some cases, thewireless device may include a single antenna 1240. However, in somecases the device may have more than one antenna 1240, which may becapable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wirelesstransmissions.

Network communications manager 1245 may manage communications with thecore network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example,the network communications manager 1245 may manage the transfer of datacommunications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115.

Inter-base station communications manager 1250 may manage communicationswith other base station 105, and may include a controller or schedulerfor controlling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with otherbase stations 105. For example, the inter-base station communicationsmanager 1250 may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to UEs 115 forvarious interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or jointtransmission. In some examples, inter-base station communicationsmanager 1250 may provide an X2 interface within an LTE/LTE-A wirelesscommunication network technology to provide communication between basestations 105.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1300 for narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.The operations of method 1300 may be implemented by a UE 115 or itscomponents as described herein. For example, the operations of method1300 may be performed by a UE narrowband communications manager asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8. In some examples, a UE115 may execute a set of codes to control the functional elements of thedevice to perform the functions described below. Additionally oralternatively, the UE 115 may perform aspects of the functions describedbelow using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1305 the UE 115 may receive a configuration message onresources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region of anunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. The operations of block 1305may be performed according to the methods described with reference toFIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of the operations ofblock 1305 may be performed by a configuration messaging component asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1310 the UE 115 may identify, based at least in part on theconfiguration message, a configuration of one or more additionalcarriers that are each in a different narrowband region of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. The operations of block 1310may be performed according to the methods described with reference toFIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of the operations ofblock 1310 may be performed by a configuration identifier as describedwith reference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1315 the UE 115 may receive, on resources of the first carrier,an assignment of resources on the one or more additional carriers in thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband. The operations of block 1315 may be performed according to themethods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of block 1315 may be performed by aresource assignment manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5through 8.

At block 1320 the UE 115 may communicate on the one or more additionalcarriers in the different narrowband regions of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band according to the assignment. The operations ofblock 1320 may be performed according to the methods described withreference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of theoperations of block 1320 may be performed by a narrowband communicationcomponent as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

FIG. 14 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 for narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.The operations of method 1400 may be implemented by a UE 115 or itscomponents as described herein. For example, the operations of method1400 may be performed by a UE narrowband communications manager asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8. In some examples, a UE115 may execute a set of codes to control the functional elements of thedevice to perform the functions described below. Additionally oralternatively, the UE 115 may perform aspects of the functions describedbelow using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1405 the UE 115 may transmit an indication of a capability orcategory of a wireless device on resources of the first carrier. Theoperations of block 1405 may be performed according to the methodsdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples,aspects of the operations of block 1405 may be performed by a devicecapability manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1410 the UE 115 may receive a configuration message onresources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region of anunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. The operations of block 1410may be performed according to the methods described with reference toFIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of the operations ofblock 1410 may be performed by a configuration messaging component asdescribed with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1415 the UE 115 may identify, based at least in part on theconfiguration message, a configuration of one or more additionalcarriers that are each in a different narrowband region of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, where the configuration of theone or more additional carriers is based on the capability or categoryof the wireless device. The operations of block 1415 may be performedaccording to the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4.In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block 1415 may beperformed by a configuration identifier as described with reference toFIGS. 5 through 8.

At block 1420 the UE 115 may receive, on resources of the first carrier,an assignment of resources on the one or more additional carriers in thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband. The operations of block 1420 may be performed according to themethods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of block 1420 may be performed by aresource assignment manager as described with reference to FIGS. 5through 8.

At block 1425 the UE 115 may communicate on the one or more additionalcarriers in the different narrowband regions of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band according to the assignment. The operations ofblock 1425 may be performed according to the methods described withreference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of theoperations of block 1425 may be performed by a narrowband communicationcomponent as described with reference to FIGS. 5 through 8.

FIG. 15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 for narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.The operations of method 1500 may be implemented by a base station 105or its components as described herein. For example, the operations ofmethod 1500 may be performed by a base station narrowband communicationsmanager as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12. In someexamples, a base station 105 may execute a set of codes to control thefunctional elements of the device to perform the functions describedbelow. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may performaspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1505 the base station 105 may transmit a configuration messageon resources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region of anunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to a first wireless device,where the configuration message identifies a configuration of a firstset of additional carriers that are each in a different narrowbandregion of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. The operationsof block 1505 may be performed according to the methods described withreference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of theoperations of block 1505 may be performed by a configuration messagingcomponent as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

At block 1510 the base station 105 may transmit, on resources of thefirst carrier to the first wireless device, an assignment of resourceson the first set of additional carriers in the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. The operationsof block 1510 may be performed according to the methods described withreference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of theoperations of block 1510 may be performed by a resource assignmentmanager as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

At block 1515 the base station 105 may communicate with the firstwireless device on the first set of additional carriers in the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bandaccording to the assignment. The operations of block 1515 may beperformed according to the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1through 4. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block 1515may be performed by a narrowband communication component as describedwith reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

FIG. 16 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 for narrowbandcommunication for different device capabilities in an unlicensedspectrum in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.The operations of method 1600 may be implemented by a base station 105or its components as described herein. For example, the operations ofmethod 1600 may be performed by a base station narrowband communicationsmanager as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12. In someexamples, a base station 105 may execute a set of codes to control thefunctional elements of the device to perform the functions describedbelow. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may performaspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block 1605 the base station 105 may receive an indication of acapability or category of the first wireless device on resources of thefirst carrier. The operations of block 1605 may be performed accordingto the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certainexamples, aspects of the operations of block 1605 may be performed by adevice capability manager as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through12.

At block 1610 the base station 105 may transmit a configuration messageon resources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region of anunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to a first wireless device,where the configuration message identifies a configuration of a firstset of additional carriers that are each in a different narrowbandregion of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band and theconfiguration of the first set of additional carriers is based on thecapability or category of the first wireless device. The operations ofblock 1610 may be performed according to the methods described withreference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of theoperations of block 1610 may be performed by a configuration messagingcomponent as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

At block 1615 the base station 105 may transmit, on resources of thefirst carrier to the first wireless device, an assignment of resourceson the first set of additional carriers in the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. The operationsof block 1615 may be performed according to the methods described withreference to FIGS. 1 through 4. In certain examples, aspects of theoperations of block 1615 may be performed by a resource assignmentmanager as described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

At block 1620 the base station 105 may communicate with the firstwireless device on the first set of additional carriers in the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bandaccording to the assignment. The operations of block 1620 may beperformed according to the methods described with reference to FIGS. 1through 4. In certain examples, aspects of the operations of block 1620may be performed by a narrowband communication component as describedwith reference to FIGS. 9 through 12.

It should be noted that the methods described above describe possibleimplementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearrangedor otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible.Furthermore, aspects from two or more of the methods 1300, 1400, 1500,or 1600 described with reference to FIG. 13, 14, 15, or 16 may becombined.

Techniques described herein may be used for various wirelesscommunications systems such as code division multiple access (CDMA),time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access(FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), singlecarrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other systems.The terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably. A CDMAsystem may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, UniversalTerrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95,and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 Releases may be commonly referred to asCDMA2000 1×, 1×, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is commonly referred to asCDMA2000 1×EV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includesWideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system mayimplement a radio technology such as Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM).

An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra MobileBroadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS). 3GPP LTE and LTE-A are releases ofUMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM aredescribed in documents from the organization named “3rd GenerationPartnership Project” (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documentsfrom an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2”(3GPP2). The techniques described herein may be used for the systems andradio technologies mentioned above as well as other systems and radiotechnologies. While aspects an LTE system may be described for purposesof example, and LTE terminology may be used in much of the description,the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE applications.

In LTE/LTE-A networks, including such networks described herein, theterm eNB may be generally used to describe the base stations. Thewireless communications system or systems described herein may include aheterogeneous LTE/LTE-A network in which different types of eNBs providecoverage for various geographical regions. For example, each eNB or basestation may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a smallcell, or other types of cell. The term “cell” may be used to describe abase station, a carrier or component carrier associated with a basestation, or a coverage area (e.g., sector, etc.) of a carrier or basestation, depending on context.

Base stations may include or may be referred to by those skilled in theart as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an accesspoint, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNB, Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, orsome other suitable terminology. The geographic coverage area for a basestation may be divided into sectors making up a portion of the coveragearea. The wireless communications system or systems described herein mayinclude base stations of different types (e.g., macro or small cell basestations). The UEs described herein may be able to communicate withvarious types of base stations and network equipment including macroeNBs, small cell eNBs, relay base stations, and the like. There may beoverlapping geographic coverage areas for different technologies.

A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g.,several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEswith service subscriptions with the network provider. A small cell is alower-powered base station, as compared with a macro cell, that mayoperate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc.)frequency bands as macro cells. Small cells may include pico cells,femto cells, and micro cells according to various examples. A pico cell,for example, may cover a small geographic area and may allowunrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions with the networkprovider. A femto cell may also cover a small geographic area (e.g., ahome) and may provide restricted access by UEs having an associationwith the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEsfor users in the home, and the like). An eNB for a macro cell may bereferred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred toas a small cell eNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB, or a home eNB. An eNB maysupport one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells(e.g., component carriers). A UE may be able to communicate with varioustypes of base stations and network equipment including macro eNBs, smallcell eNBs, relay base stations, and the like.

The wireless communications system or systems described herein maysupport synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronousoperation, the base stations may have similar frame timing, andtransmissions from different base stations may be approximately alignedin time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations may havedifferent frame timing, and transmissions from different base stationsmay not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be usedfor either synchronous or asynchronous operations.

The downlink transmissions described herein may also be called forwardlink transmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be calledreverse link transmissions. Each communication link describedherein—including, for example, wireless communications system 100 and200 of FIGS. 1 and 2—may include one or more carriers, where eachcarrier may be a signal made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveformsignals of different frequencies).

The description set forth herein, in connection with the appendeddrawings, describes example configurations and does not represent allthe examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of theclaims. The term “exemplary” used herein means “serving as an example,instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred” or “advantageous overother examples.” The detailed description includes specific details forthe purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques.These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of thedescribed examples.

In the appended figures, similar components or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a secondlabel that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the firstreference label is used in the specification, the description isapplicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

Information and signals described herein may be represented using any ofa variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data,instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chipsthat may be referenced throughout the above description may berepresented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magneticfields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combinationthereof.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection withthe disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with ageneral-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor,but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may bestored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are withinthe scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to thenature of software, functions described above can be implemented usingsoftware executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, orcombinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may alsobe physically located at various positions, including being distributedsuch that portions of functions are implemented at different physicallocations.

As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or,” when used ina list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items canbe employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listeditems can be employed. For example, if a composition is described ascontaining components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain Aalone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination;B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. Also, as usedherein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (forexample, a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of”or “one or more of”) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example,a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to anycombination of those items, including single members. As an example, “atleast one of: A, B, or C” is intended to cover A, B, C, A-B, A-C, B-C,and A-B-C., as well as any combination with multiples of the sameelement (e.g., A-A, A-A-A, A-A-B, A-A-C, A-B-B, A-C-C, B-B, B-B-B,B-B-C, C-C, and C-C-C or any other ordering of A, B, and C). Also, asused herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a referenceto a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step that isdescribed as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition Aand a condition B without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shallbe construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in parton.”

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storagemedia and communication media including any medium that facilitatestransfer of a computer program from one place to another. Anon-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that can beaccessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way ofexample, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media maycomprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory(EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othernon-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired programcode means in the form of instructions or data structures and that canbe accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or ageneral-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection isproperly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the softwareis transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using acoaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line(DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave,then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digitalsubscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio,and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc,as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatiledisc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproducedata magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above are also included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

The description herein is provided to enable a person skilled in the artto make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosurewill be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the genericprinciples defined herein may be applied to other variations withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is notlimited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to beaccorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:receiving a configuration message on resources of a first carrier in afirst narrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band;identifying, based at least in part on the configuration message, aconfiguration of one or more additional carriers that are each in adifferent narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband; receiving, on resources of the first carrier, an assignment ofresources on the one or more additional carriers in the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; andcommunicating on the one or more additional carriers in the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bandaccording to the assignment.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the oneor more additional carriers are contiguous to one another.
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: transmitting an uplink message onresources of the first carrier in the first narrowband region.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting an indication of acapability or category of a wireless device on resources of the firstcarrier, wherein the configuration of the one or more additionalcarriers is based at least in part on the capability or category of thewireless device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein a number of the oneor more additional carriers in the configuration is based at least inpart on the capability or category of the wireless device.
 6. The methodof claim 4, wherein receiving the assignment of resources comprises:receiving a downlink control message having a format that is based atleast in part on the capability or category of the wireless device. 7.The method of claim 4, wherein communicating on the one or moreadditional carriers comprises: receiving a downlink data message on theresources of the one or more additional carriers, wherein a format ofthe downlink data message is based at least in part on the capability orcategory of the wireless device.
 8. The method of claim 4, furthercomprising: transmitting an uplink control message on resources of thefirst carrier, wherein a format of the uplink control message is basedat least in part on the capability or category of the wireless device.9. The method of claim 4, wherein communicating on the one or moreadditional carriers comprises: transmitting an uplink control message oran uplink data message on the resources of the one or more additionalcarriers, wherein a format of the uplink control message or the uplinkdata message is based at least in part on the capability or category ofthe wireless device.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein a bandwidth ofeach narrowband region comprises a bandwidth of twelve Long TermEvolution (LTE) subcarriers (1RB).
 11. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving a system information broadcast message onresources of the first carrier; and identifying the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band based at leastin part on the system information broadcast message.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: performing a random access procedure usingresources of the first carrier, wherein the configuration message isreceived during the random access procedure.
 13. The method of claim 1,further comprising: receiving one or more synchronization signals onresources of the first carrier.
 14. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: identifying a location of the first narrowband region of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band based at least in part on theone or more synchronization signals.
 15. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising: determining that a base station has gained access to thefirst narrowband region and the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band based at least in part onreceiving the one or more synchronization signals; and tuning one ormore radio frequency (RF) chains to frequencies of the differentnarrowband regions based at least in part on determining that the basestation gained access to the first narrowband region and the differentnarrowband regions.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:monitoring for the one or more synchronization signals while operatingin a radio resource control (RRC) idle mode.
 17. The method of claim 13,wherein the one or more synchronization signals comprise a primarysynchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal(SSS).
 18. A method for wireless communication, comprising: transmittinga configuration message on resources of a first carrier in a firstnarrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to afirst wireless device, wherein the configuration message identifies aconfiguration of a first set of additional carriers that are each in adifferent narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband; transmitting, on resources of the first carrier to the firstwireless device, an assignment of resources on the first set ofadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; and communicating with thefirst wireless device on the first set of additional carriers in thedifferent narrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband according to the assignment.
 19. The method of claim 18, furthercomprising: transmitting an additional configuration message on thefirst carrier in the first narrowband region of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band to a second wireless device, wherein theadditional configuration message identifies a configuration of a secondset of additional carriers that are each different narrowband regions.20. The method of claim 18, wherein each carrier of the first set ofadditional carriers is contiguous to another carrier of the first set ofadditional carriers.
 21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:receiving an uplink message from the first wireless device on resourcesof the first carrier in the first narrowband region.
 22. The method ofclaim 18, further comprising: receiving an indication of a capability orcategory of the first wireless device on resources of the first carrier,wherein the configuration of the first set of additional carriers isbased at least in part on the capability or category of the firstwireless device.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein a number ofcarriers in the first set of additional carriers in the configuration isbased at least in part on the capability or category of the firstwireless device.
 24. The method of claim 22, wherein transmitting theassignment of resources comprises: transmitting a downlink controlmessage having a format that is based at least in part on the capabilityor category of the first wireless device.
 25. The method of claim 22,wherein communicating on the first set of additional carriers comprises:transmitting a downlink data message on the resources of the first setof additional carriers, wherein a format of the downlink data message isbased at least in part on the capability or category of the firstwireless device.
 26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:receiving an uplink control message on resources of the first carrier,wherein a format of the uplink control message is based at least in parton the capability or category of the first wireless device.
 27. Themethod of claim 22, wherein communicating on the first set of additionalcarriers comprises: receiving an uplink control message or an uplinkdata message on the resources of the first set of additional carriers,wherein a format of the uplink control message or the uplink datamessage is based at least in part on the capability or category of thefirst wireless device.
 28. The method of claim 18, further comprising:transmitting a system information broadcast message on resources of thefirst carrier, wherein the system information broadcast messageidentifies the different narrowband regions of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band.
 29. The method of claim 18, further comprising:performing a random access procedure with the first wireless deviceusing resources of the first carrier, wherein the configuration messageis transmitted during the random access procedure.
 30. The method ofclaim 18, further comprising: transmitting one or more synchronizationsignals on resources of the first carrier.
 31. An apparatus for wirelesscommunication, comprising: means for receiving a configuration messageon resources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region of anunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; means for identifying, basedat least in part on the configuration message, a configuration of one ormore additional carriers that are each in a different narrowband regionof the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; means for receiving, onresources of the first carrier, an assignment of resources on the one ormore additional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; and means for communicating onthe one or more additional carriers in the different narrowband regionsof the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to theassignment.
 32. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:means for transmitting a configuration message on resources of a firstcarrier in a first narrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequencyspectrum band to a first wireless device, wherein the configurationmessage identifies a configuration of a first set of additional carriersthat are each in a different narrowband region of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band; means for transmitting, on resources of thefirst carrier to the first wireless device, an assignment of resourceson the first set of additional carriers in the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; and means forcommunicating with the first wireless device on the first set ofadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to the assignment.33. An apparatus for wireless communication, in a system comprising: aprocessor; memory in electronic communication with the processor; andinstructions stored in the memory and operable, when executed by theprocessor, to cause the apparatus to: receive a configuration message onresources of a first carrier in a first narrowband region of anunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; identify, based at least inpart on the configuration message, a configuration of one or moreadditional carriers that are each in a different narrowband region ofthe unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; receive, on resources ofthe first carrier, an assignment of resources on the one or moreadditional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; and communicate on the one ormore additional carriers in the different narrowband regions of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to the assignment.34. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein the one or more additionalcarriers are contiguous to one another.
 35. The apparatus of claim 33,wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor tocause the apparatus to: transmit an uplink message on resources of thefirst carrier in the first narrowband region.
 36. The apparatus of claim33, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor tocause the apparatus to: transmit an indication of a capability orcategory of a wireless device on resources of the first carrier, whereinthe configuration of the one or more additional carriers is based atleast in part on the capability or category of the wireless device. 37.The apparatus of claim 36, wherein a number of the one or moreadditional carriers in the configuration is based at least in part onthe capability or category of the wireless device.
 38. The apparatus ofclaim 36, wherein the instructions are further executable by theprocessor to cause the apparatus to: receive a downlink control messagehaving a format that is based at least in part on the capability orcategory of the wireless device.
 39. The apparatus of claim 36, whereinthe instructions are further executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to: receive a downlink data message on the resources of theone or more additional carriers, wherein a format of the downlink datamessage is based at least in part on the capability or category of thewireless device.
 40. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the instructionsare further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:transmit an uplink control message on resources of the first carrier,wherein a format of the uplink control message is based at least in parton the capability or category of the wireless device.
 41. The apparatusof claim 36, the instructions are further executable by the processor tocause the apparatus to: transmit an uplink control message or an uplinkdata message on the resources of the one or more additional carriers,wherein a format of the uplink control message or the uplink datamessage is based at least in part on the capability or category of thewireless device.
 42. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein a bandwidth ofeach narrowband region comprises a bandwidth of twelve Long TermEvolution (LTE) subcarriers (1RB).
 43. The apparatus of claim 33,wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor tocause the apparatus to: receive a system information broadcast messageon resources of the first carrier; and identify the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band based at leastin part on the system information broadcast message.
 44. The apparatusof claim 33, wherein the instructions are further executable by theprocessor to cause the apparatus to: perform a random access procedureusing resources of the first carrier, wherein the configuration messageis received during the random access procedure.
 45. The apparatus ofclaim 33, wherein the instructions are further executable by theprocessor to cause the apparatus to: receive one or more synchronizationsignals on resources of the first carrier.
 46. The apparatus of claim45, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor tocause the apparatus to: identify a location of the first narrowbandregion of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band based at least inpart on the one or more synchronization signals.
 47. The apparatus ofclaim 45, wherein the instructions are further executable by theprocessor to cause the apparatus to: determine that a base station hasgained access to the first narrowband region and the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band basedat least in part on receiving the one or more synchronization signals;and tune one or more radio frequency (RF) chains to frequencies of thedifferent narrowband regions based at least in part on determining thatthe base station gained access to the first narrowband region and thedifferent narrowband regions.
 48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein theinstructions are further executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to: monitor for the one or more synchronization signals whileoperating in a radio resource control (RRC) idle mode.
 49. The apparatusof claim 45, wherein the one or more synchronization signals comprise aprimary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronizationsignal (SSS).
 50. An apparatus for wireless communication, in a systemcomprising: a processor; memory in electronic communication with theprocessor; and instructions stored in the memory and operable, whenexecuted by the processor, to cause the apparatus to: transmit aconfiguration message on resources of a first carrier in a firstnarrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to afirst wireless device, wherein the configuration message identifies aconfiguration of a first set of additional carriers that are each in adifferent narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband; transmit, on resources of the first carrier to the first wirelessdevice, an assignment of resources on the first set of additionalcarriers in the different narrowband regions of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band; and communicate with the first wireless deviceon the first set of additional carriers in the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to theassignment.
 51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the instructions arefurther executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmitan additional configuration message on the first carrier in the firstnarrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to asecond wireless device, wherein the additional configuration messageidentifies a configuration of a second set of additional carriers thatare each different narrowband regions.
 52. The apparatus of claim 50,wherein each carrier of the first set of additional carriers iscontiguous to another carrier of the first set of additional carriers.53. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the instructions are furtherexecutable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive an uplinkmessage from the first wireless device on resources of the first carrierin the first narrowband region.
 54. The apparatus of claim 50, whereinthe instructions are further executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to: receive an indication of a capability or category of thefirst wireless device on resources of the first carrier, wherein theconfiguration of the first set of additional carriers is based at leastin part on the capability or category of the first wireless device. 55.The apparatus of claim 54, wherein a number of carriers in the first setof additional carriers in the configuration is based at least in part onthe capability or category of the first wireless device.
 56. Theapparatus of claim 54, wherein the instructions are further executableby the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit a downlink controlmessage having a format that is based at least in part on the capabilityor category of the first wireless device.
 57. The apparatus of claim 54,wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor tocause the apparatus to: transmit a downlink data message on theresources of the first set of additional carriers, wherein a format ofthe downlink data message is based at least in part on the capability orcategory of the first wireless device.
 58. The apparatus of claim 54,wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor tocause the apparatus to: receive an uplink control message on resourcesof the first carrier, wherein a format of the uplink control message isbased at least in part on the capability or category of the firstwireless device.
 59. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein the instructionsare further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:receive an uplink control message or an uplink data message on theresources of the first set of additional carriers, wherein a format ofthe uplink control message or the uplink data message is based at leastin part on the capability or category of the first wireless device. 60.The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the instructions are furtherexecutable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit a systeminformation broadcast message on resources of the first carrier, whereinthe system information broadcast message identifies the differentnarrowband regions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band. 61.The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the instructions are furtherexecutable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: perform a randomaccess procedure with the first wireless device using resources of thefirst carrier, wherein the configuration message is transmitted duringthe random access procedure.
 62. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein theinstructions are further executable by the processor to cause theapparatus to: transmit one or more synchronization signals on resourcesof the first carrier.
 63. A non-transitory computer readable mediumstoring code for wireless communication, the code comprisinginstructions executable to: receive a configuration message on resourcesof a first carrier in a first narrowband region of an unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band; identify, based at least in part on theconfiguration message, a configuration of one or more additionalcarriers that are each in a different narrowband region of theunlicensed radio frequency spectrum band; receive, on resources of thefirst carrier, an assignment of resources on the one or more additionalcarriers in the different narrowband regions of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band; and communicate on the one or more additionalcarriers in the different narrowband regions of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band according to the assignment.
 64. Anon-transitory computer readable medium storing code for wirelesscommunication, the code comprising instructions executable to: transmita configuration message on resources of a first carrier in a firstnarrowband region of an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band to afirst wireless device, wherein the configuration message identifies aconfiguration of a first set of additional carriers that are each in adifferent narrowband region of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrumband; transmit, on resources of the first carrier to the first wirelessdevice, an assignment of resources on the first set of additionalcarriers in the different narrowband regions of the unlicensed radiofrequency spectrum band; and communicate with the first wireless deviceon the first set of additional carriers in the different narrowbandregions of the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band according to theassignment.